She almost wished she hadn’t run into Sean. Knowing about Father’s plan wouldn’t stop him. All it did was bring home to her exactly how brief her life in Las Anclas was likely to be. And not just hers, but Mia’s, Ross’s—
Nugget’s ears flicked.
“Above!” Jennie yelled.
Rifle muzzles appeared over the edges of both sides of the arroyo. Kerry flung her arms over her head to shield herself, then remembered her friends. She gritted her teeth, extended the shield to its maximum reach, covering Jennie and Mia in front of her, and Ross and Summer behind.
A shower of bullets and arrows bounced off the shield. The acrid smell of gun smoke stung Kerry’s nose.
“Fire!” someone yelled from above.
A second round, this time all arrows, clattered against the shield. Kerry trembled with effort. She’d never created anything this big before, or held it this long. Her body and mind strained.
Summer yelled, “I’ll go after them!”
As Ross grabbed her arm, a woman’s head appeared over the edge. “There she is!”
“Finally!” a man bellowed in triumph.
“Thought you’d lost us, running south then doubling back, eh, you stinking little thief? But we’ve got you now!” the woman snarled.
“Don? Alice?” Summer shrieked.
The man demanded, “Where are our diamonds?”
“Let me go!” Summer screamed at Ross. “I’m gonna kill them!”
As Ross struggled to hold her, Jennie spoke so softly that Kerry barely heard her. “How long can you hold this?”
Kerry tried to pitch her voice low, but it was hard when it took all her concentration to maintain the shield. “I don’t know. Not long.”
“Fire!” Don shouted.
Kerry braced, every muscle vibrating. Her heart pounded. But her shield held. Bullets bounced off and rolled to the side, joining the heap of arrows and bullets suspended in midair.
Black spots bobbed nauseatingly at the edge of her vision. But Kerry forced herself to yell, “It’s fine, Jennie! I can keep this up all day!”
“Flank ’em!” Don yelled.
The bandits’ heads vanished, replaced by the sound of footsteps and hooves as the bandits split up to attack from either end of the arroyo. With immense relief, Kerry released the shield. The suspended bullets and arrows showered into the mud all around them.
Kerry’s head was splitting, but she tightened her belly, drawing on whatever strength remained to create another shield that would protect everyone. But it was like reaching into an empty barrel. Giving up on the shield, she tried for something smaller: her sword. Her hand closed on empty space. She had nothing left.
As the howling mob of bandits charged into the arroyo from either end, Kerry’s mouth went dry. She had no other sword. Why should she, when she could create her own?
“Kerry!” Jennie shouted. “Take mine!”
Jennie tossed Kerry her sword in its scabbard. Kerry caught it in both hands. It was heavier than she expected. Clumsily, her fingers shaking, she slid it out of the sheath.
Jennie raised her crossbow and shot the lead bandit. In a single movement, she slapped in another bolt and cranked it.
Mia took aim with her paralyzer gun, holding it steady with both hands, and fired. A bandit toppled out of the saddle. Behind her, Ross took out two bandits with a pair of blindingly fast knife throws.
An arrow zipped an inch away from Kerry’s ear. She recoiled, almost falling off Nugget. It was hard to fight with a sword made of metal whose hilt had been designed for bigger hands. She was used to wielding her own weightless swords, whose hilts molded perfectly to her grip.
Everything was a blur of confusion. She had no idea what anyone else was doing or who was winning. The only thing she was sure of was that they were outnumbered. She could do nothing but swing that heavy sword at the nearest enemies.
Then she remembered Father’s advice. It’s easy to get tunnel vision when you’re in the middle of a battle. Always look for the big picture. Then you’ll know your next move.
Kerry took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm, and tried to widen her field of vision. Summer had jumped from Sally’s back to hurtle overhead, leaping from one tiny foothold on the wall to the next as she slashed with long knives held in either hand. Jennie shot steadily, but only had a few bolts left in her quiver. Ross had dismounted and was fighting on foot against the bandits attacking from behind. He threw his last boot knife, then snatched his crossbow gun from the saddle holster as he faced off with four mounted bandits.
“Bolts!” Jennie called breathlessly to Mia, who started rummaging through her backpack.
“Jennie!” Ross shouted. As Kerry swiveled her head, metal flashed by her other ear as Ross tossed his naked sword through the air. The hilt smacked into Jennie’s outstretched hand.
A blur of movement swung toward Kerry’s head. She ducked instinctively, then forced her sword upward. Metal screeched against metal as a sword slid against hers. The bandit jerked her sword back, and swung it around at Kerry from the side—using both hands, just as Kerry did.
Kerry might not be familiar with the sword in her hands, but she was extremely familiar with that move. With the ease of long training, Kerry brought her sword under the girl’s—she had a second to see that the bandit was a teenager like herself—before she arced her sword down to bury it in the girl’s ribs.
Kerry jerked her sword free, and watched as the girl fell from her horse, landing face down in the stream.
I killed her, Kerry thought, unable to quite believe it. She’s dead.
She forced herself to look away. Jennie faced three bandits, all men, one of whom was trying to get at Mia as she frantically dug into her pack. Kerry clapped her knees to Nugget’s sides, pushing him up on Mia’s other side. She used both hands to bring Jennie’s sword down to ward the attacker as Mia reloaded her cloud viper gun.
Summer whirled over Alice, her knife slicing across the screeching woman’s throat. Alice pitched lifelessly into the mud. Mia shot her venom gun, recoiling in her saddle as a huge man stiffened and fell on top of Alice.
Jennie took out the last two bandits with a powerful figure eight swing that embedded a sword in one and buried a knife up to the hilt in the second.
There were no more enemies that Kerry could see. The rest must be behind her. She spun around.
Ross leaned against the side of the ravine, breathing hard. Blood ran down his left arm and dripped from the steel fingers of his gauntlet. Four bandits sprawled dead on the ground before him, each with a bolt in their heart or throat.
As suddenly as the battle had begun, it was over.
Groans rose from some of the fallen. Two bandits lay stiff on their backs but seemingly unhurt, glassy eyes wide open. Both had tiny darts sticking in their flesh.
Summer landed in a crouch and stooped over one of the paralyzed bandits, bloody knife ready.
Jennie caught her wrist. “Leave them.”
“Why?” Summer said, her voice high and shrill. “They got Spring killed! I’m sending them to Hell after Joe!”
Father’s voice again spoke in Kerry’s mind. Spare the wounded when you’re conquering a city, unless it’s someone you would have to kill anyway. Then mercy has a purpose. But anyone who attacks you . . . don’t leave them alive.
“That is not your judgment to make,” Jennie said. “They can’t harm us now. And they won’t come back.”
“I’m not afraid of them.” Summer raised her dagger, but Jennie again pulled her back.
Kerry didn’t care about the bandits, but the last thing she wanted to see was more killing. “They’ll suffer more if you leave them alive. Just imagine, Summer. Once they unfreeze, they’ll have to get up and bury their family. They can’t do that if they’re dead.”
Summer sobbed and scrubbed her eyes on her shoulder. “I bet they didn’t even bury Spring.” But she turned away.
Jennie glanced at Mia. “Can they hear us?”
Mia nodded violently. “Oh yes. They’re completely aware. I was when I shot myself.”
Jennie’s eyebrows rose, and Mia hastily added, “As a test! Not an accident. I wouldn’t be careless like that.”
Jennie smiled faintly. Then her expression hardened as she leaned over the nearest paralyzed bandit, her red-smeared sword brandished over him. “We showed you mercy this once. But if we ever see your faces again, you’ll get what you tried to do to us. Leave this land. And don’t come back.”
Summer stood at her shoulder. “Those diamonds are gone. I got robbed right after I ran away from you. Somebody is probably robbing somebody else for them right now!” She gave the bandit a vicious kick in the ribs and stomped away.
Ross, ignoring his wound, bent to collect fallen weapons.
Mia turned to Kerry. “Want me to clean that for you?”
“Clean what?” Kerry followed Mia’s gaze, and was startled to see a long slice on her forearm, and another on her thigh. As soon as she registered them, they began to sting fiercely.
“Let’s get out of the ravine first,” Jennie said. “We’ve still got to ride around all that concrete.”
Tired and aching as they all were, they caught the bandits’ horses and collected their weapons and arrows. Jennie led the way out of the arroyo, sword in hand. Ross took the rear, crossbow gun at the ready.
When they emerged, the concrete bridge loomed before them, perfectly intact. All the fallen rubble was gone. Kerry stared, baffled.
“I should have seen that,” Summer exclaimed. “Cousin Elias could create illusions. Good ones. Not rabbit illusions.”
Jennie laid her palm on the girl’s shoulder. “There was no way you could have known that was him. This wasn’t your fault.”
“I know that,” Summer declared. But she didn’t shake off Jennie’s hand.
* * *
They reached Las Anclas as the sun began its slide toward the sea. Teenagers clustered on the sentry walks as they rode up, leading their string of new horses.
Brisa shouted down, “Was it fun?”
“Are the Catalina Players coming?” Alfonso called.
As they rode through the gates, Kerry wished she could go straight to her room. Her entire body itched. She longed for a bath, clean clothes, a bed, and hot fresh food. But mostly a bath.
“Hey, why’s Summer got knives?” Tommy Horst bellowed from the other side of the sentry walk.
“Tommy, back to your place,” Ms. Lowenstein ordered sharply.
“I don’t have to,” Tommy called back. “My dad is defense chief, and that girl wearing those knives is defense business!”
Tommy’s bullhorn voice attracted the attention of the field planters who were streaming in through the gates. They clustered around, blocking the road.
“Step aside,” came Sheriff Crow’s crisp voice. “Coming through.”
She was accompanied by a blonde girl. For a surreal second, Kerry didn’t recognize her. Then she saw that it was Becky, but a Becky who had transformed herself. Not only was she wearing cotton pants and a shirt instead of a dress, she had pulled her hair into a ponytail, instead of letting it hang forward to hide her face. This new Becky walked with her back straight and her chin high, her gaze steady as the sheriff’s rather than cast downward.
What did Sheriff Crow do with her? Kerry wondered. Teach her to fight?
That couldn’t be it. Months of martial arts training in the Vardams’ yard had done nothing for Becky but make her a timid girl who could punch harder than she could before.
Mr. Horst thrust his way through the crowd. “Now, what is all this?” He glared at Ross. “You were in charge of this girl. Why is she armed?”
Ross visibly forced himself to look Mr. Horst in the eyes—Kerry could almost feel the effort he made. She decided to rescue him. After all, he’d done the same for her when she’d returned to Las Anclas after blowing up the dam at Gold Point.
She pitched her voice to reach every listener, even those peeping out from windows. “Summer fought heroically when we were attacked by bandits. She used those knives to protect us. But of course, if she must turn them over, she must . . .” Kerry eyed Sheriff Crow, willing the woman to go along with her ploy. “Oh! We confiscated these horses from the bandits. I’ll take them to the stables.”
“That’s at least a dozen horses,” Meredith called from the wall. “How many did you fight?”
“About twenty. Maybe more,” Summer said airily.
“Thirteen,” Jennie said. But she spoke under her breath.
Sheriff Crow gave her a slight smile, then motioned to Summer, who dismounted and approached with some of her old wariness. “What do you intend to do with your knives? No one underage wears weapons, except on patrol, and that begins when you’re sixteen.”
“I’ll leave them in my room,” Summer replied. “Except for training.”
“Jennie, Ross, I’d like your opinion,” Sheriff Crow said. “Should she should be allowed to keep charge of her weapons?”
“Yes,” Jennie and Ross said at the same time.
Mr. Horst snapped, “That’s a council decision.”
Sheriff Crow inspected the crowd. “We have a quorum right here. Dr. Lee? Guildmaster Appel? Shall we let Summer Juarez keep her knives—and lift the restriction on her while we’re at it?”
“I’m here as well,” Grandma Wolfe spoke up cheerfully, from beside Felicité and Henry. “Summer, it’s good to see you taking responsibility. Sheriff, you have my vote.”
“Mine, too,” Dr. Lee said.
Guildmaster Appel hooked his thumbs into the pockets of his considerable waistcoat, rocked back on his heels, and rumbled, “If the sheriff thinks it a good idea, I’m for it.”
“I do,” Sheriff Crow said.
As Mr. Horst scowled, Jennie spoke up. “Mr. Horst, I have good news for you. The Catalina Players are coming to Las Anclas!”
The crowd burst into cheers. Kerry didn’t miss the sour look that puckered Mr. Horst’s face before he forced a smile and addressed the crowd. “See? I kept my promise to you voters!”
Felicité stepped forward. She was dressed for a party, as was Henry. She tipped her huge straw hat back and said in her tinkliest voice, “Why don’t we combine my graduation dance with their performance? I will provide the refreshments, of course.”
The teenagers shouted with enthusiasm, and Felicité smiled benignly around, as if the Players had been entirely her idea.
Kerry nudged Nugget to step near Felicité. Smiling in her sweetest Min Soo manner, she said, “Would you like a reminder about recording the quorum decision in the council records? I’d be happy to help.”
Felicité’s smile turned poisonous. “Oh, I never forget anything.”
Kerry laughed silently all the way to the stable, where she handed off the tired horses. She rubbed Nugget’s nose, then stretched one arm around his neck as she reached into her pouch for the last stale, broken horse cookie. Nugget accepted it regally.
From Penny’s stall, mother and colt nickered in welcome. Kerry was glad to see their coats shining and clean, the stall spick and span, but she had expected no less. She wound her fingers in Penny’s mane and kissed her soft muzzle.
“I can come back.”
Kerry turned around. Paco stood behind her with buckets of feed. He was about to carry them to the next stall when she said, “Wait. Did you come back with the Ranger patrol? Is Mr. Preston here?”
Paco paused, glancing over his shoulder. Kerry could never get used to his resemblance to Father. Except that Paco never smiled. “He’s on his way home.”
“We heard some news about Yuki,” Kerry offered.
Paco didn’t speak, but he didn’t go away.
“He’s famous up and down the coast. He rode dolphins. He saved the life of a kid who was drowning. Everyone loved him. Just thought you might like to know.”
Paco still didn’t smile, but he looked like he was thinking of it. “Rode dolphins,
huh? Did he make any good finds?”
He was actually talking to her. Marveling, Kerry said, “No big ones. Last anyone had heard, he was headed for a place with a weird reputation. The Burning Lands. No one had actually been there, but they’d all heard stories about it.”
“Yeah, that sounds like somewhere Yuki would want to go.” Paco paused, seeming to undergo some inner struggle. As if the words were forced out of him, he said, “What were the stories?”
“I have to make a report now, but can I tell you later?”
Paco shrugged and walked away. At least he didn’t say no.
Jennie appeared at the stable door. “You can go find Mr. Preston now. Ma will see to Rusty and the horses.”
“Do you want to come with me?”
Jennie shook her head, her expression somber. “There was a time when he would have believed me. But that’s over now.”
Jennie had lost Mr. Preston’s trust on Kerry’s behalf. If Jennie, Yuki, and Mia hadn’t let her go, Kerry would have been executed by a firing squad . . . ordered by the man she was about to report to.
Life could take some strange turns.
Kerry spotted her target halfway up the Hill. “Mr. Preston!”
She still didn’t like him any more than she liked his daughter, but he was the only person with power in Las Anclas who she was sure would believe her. He waited silently as she dashed up. In her mind, Father’s cool, amused voice instructed her: Only tell enough of the truth to serve your purpose.
And then it was her mother’s sweet voice that echoed in Kerry’s ears: There are more subtle forms of flattery than simple praise. Make a person think you’re confiding in them and them alone, and they’ll believe anything you say.
Kerry glanced around, making sure no one was in earshot. Mr. Preston’s pale eyes flicked upward, no doubt looking for hawks, and then back to her.
“I learned something on the trip that you need to know,” Kerry said. “I told everyone I was with that I spoke to a trader. Everything I said was true, but I heard it from someone else. I want to tell you who. But I have to know that you’ll keep that one part a secret. If anyone finds out who it really was, it could put them in danger.”
“Hmm.” Mr. Preston rubbed his chin with one finger. “I can’t make promises without knowing what they are. But I have my own informants, and I never endanger them. I’ll consider yours as one of mine. How’s that?”
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